Disclaimer: I don't own twilight or the twilight characters.
Sorry for any grammar or formatting errors.
Sorry for this late posting, I said that I would post early but didn't. Life has become a little hectic but I'm still working on this story. Chapter 10 is only on Friday, I'm trying to prevent my chapters from becoming too long. Chapter 11 should be up soon.
Please read, review, and let me know what you think. I appreciate those who leave comments.
Friday
EPOV
Bella was already out of bed when I woke up, if she even came to bed last night. I've decided to forget about last night and move on with my morning as if I hadn't heard her.
BPOV
"Good morning." I greeted Edward as I reached up and kissed his cheek. "I washed the upstairs sheets last night and put them back on the bed this morning. I've also made sure everything was ready up there. I hope I didn't wake you while vacuuming."
"You didn't wake me. Do you know what time everyone is coming over tonight?"
"I think their plan is to get here around five so that we can eat at six. I will get off at two today and was going to set up the game room with air mattresses. I'm not sure what time you get off but we also need to go by the store to pick up food for the weekend." I reminded him that we had put off grabbing groceries.
"I'm also getting off at two if you would like to ride together."
"I would love that. I'm going to get dressed but help yourself to the pancakes I made." I pointed behind me at the leaning pancake stack next to the stove.
I was in an extremely good mood. Last night was both relaxing and stress relieving. My spirits were also high when I thought about spending the entire weekend with our friends. This will be the first time that I'm not fifth wheeling when we have the entire group together. I could only hope that Edward was as excited for this weekend as I was.
He was already asleep by the time I came to bed but I made sure to strip the upstairs bed and throw the sheets in the wash. I was disappointed that he was asleep but I couldn't blame him, after all I was the one who chose to stay up. His sleeping form looked so peaceful and his face looked worry free. I made sure to kiss his forehead before snuggling into his side. Is he aware that you know about him kissing your forehead every night? I liked the warmth that his body provided me.
I dressed quickly so that I could eat breakfast with Edward. It was something small but it still brought me happiness.
"I'm going to put our cards away especially before Emmett gets here." I took the seat at the island next to Edward.
"That's probably a good idea, I don't even know how to explain them to him." A look of realization spread across Edward's face. "He'd have a field day with them."
"I bet." The cards had provided us with plenty of conversation topics, most of them were mynute topics but they got the conversation rolling. I was glad that we had slowed with the cards because our conversations started progressing naturally without needing the extra stimulation. A small part of me still felt the need to pull off a few more cards so that I could see what was past the conversations.
"Does this weekend mean that we won't get our nightly chats? Are we missing out on our nightly nuggets of knowledge?" Edward gave me a small pout.
"Nightly nuggets of knowledge?" I looked at him in confusion.
"I thought that we should name our nightly chatting session. Nightly talks seemed boring."
"Okay." I chuckled to myself. "Seems like a mouth full. I'm not sure whether or not we will have time to talk but I'm sure that we can make up for it after this weekend or on Sunday once everyone leaves."
I had finished eating and stood to rinse my plate. Edward followed suit when I loaded it into the dishwasher.
"But I don't want to miss out on our conversations." Edward whined a little.
"We will make up for it, would it make you feel better if we pulled off a new card now? We can chat about it in the car. I promise that this weekend won't be the end of the world and we will have plenty to converse about after." I leaned my back against the island so that I could look at him, even if he was facing away from me.
"Can we pull the next card?" He asked me in a small voice.
"Yes." I turned around and grabbed the card deck that had been moved to the island earlier this week. I tore off the top card as Edward came to stand behind me. I turned it over and stared at it for a split second before Edward turned me around.
Share a kiss, nothing too exciting or adventurous. A simple kiss as long as both parties are comfortable.
"I like this one." He whispered softly in my ear after pressing me back against the island. He drew his nose softly down the side of my cheek before gently placing his lips onto mine. His arms wound around my hips and my fingers tangled into his hair.
The kiss turned hungry as I opened my mouth to suck his bottom lip into my mouth. Edward let out a small growl before lifting me to sit on the counter. He pushed his body to stand between my legs and granted me access to his mouth. I used my new found leverage to tilt his head back slightly and tied my legs around his waist. It was my turn to moan when he slipped his tongue into my mouth and I could taste the sweetness of the syrup for breakfast. One of his hands moved up my side as it traveled to hold the side of my face and the other remained in its place on my hip.
I pulled my mouth away from his and gasped for air. He took this break with grace and began kissing down the side of my jaw. I knew that I wanted to kiss him but I never thought that it would be this good. Edward's kisses slowed as he started pulling away from me. He backed up only slightly but moved his hands to the counter on either side of my legs.
"That one is my favorite." He gave me a goofy grin and pointed to the card.
"Feel free to do that, anytime." I gave him a quick peck to his lips before sliding off the counter. I leaned up and gave him one last small peck to his cheek. "Finish getting ready before we are late for work."
…
We got ready by ourselves but regrouped in the garage. I liked my car but I enjoyed Edward's driving more. We've become prone to taking his Volvo when we travel together. I slid into the car next to him and placed my purse between my feet.
"We have a lot of stuff to do this afternoon. It's terrible that we both procrastinated. We need to buy food, pick up the house one last time, and set up downstairs. We do have air mattresses, right?"
"Uh." Edward squinted his eyes while trying to think. "I had one at my last house but I have no clue how big it would be or where it's at. I didn't actually think about the logistics of sleeping on air mattresses."
"We might as well buy some then. I don't plan to sleep on the floor and we never know when we'll need them again."
"Ok, send me a text if you think of anything else. I'll create a list so that we can get in and out of the store as fast as we can."
"Good idea. Do you know what else is a good idea?" I asked him as I reached into my purse.
"What?" He raised an eyebrow at me.
"Flipping another card since this morning wasn't a conversation card. Don't get me wrong, I loved the card we got." I winked at him. "But it wasn't a conversation topic like we planned. I know that we can't plan for what we get, these cards seem to be all out of whack. I don't understand why they start off heavy but then would throw in simple things. Shouldn't we start simple and warm up from there?"
"They are probably covering the most important conversations first, giving us a structure of communication. Then they throw in one simple conversation topic so that all the discussions don't weigh heavily on us. It's a way to discuss things that we wouldn't think of." He glanced at me from the side of his eye.
"I know." I rolled my eyes slightly. I wasn't looking for a reasonable explanation, I just wanted to complain. "Do you want to know what this card says? I haven't read it yet. I tore it off and folded it in half so that we can be surprised together."
"When did you grab another card?"
"When I was hiding the deck in the closet. I'm not crazy enough to risk someone finding it. Do you want to hear it or not?"
"Sure, open it." I unfolded the card and read it aloud.
Tell your partner something that you had no intentions of ever saying.
"That's a good one." I commented. I moved in my seat so that I could face him easier. "Tell me Edward, what secrets are you keeping? What were you never planning on telling me?" Edwards' face looked a little nervous.
"Are you sure that you want to know?" He sucked in his cheeks. I didn't think that he actually had something to hide but I was starting to get nervous.
"Yes. Why are you so nervous?"
"Um." I knew that he was stalling but that only made me more intrigued. It had to be something interesting if he was this worried about it. He wouldn't hide anything big from you…. right?
"Spit it out, you're killing me."
"Ok, but you asked for it... I wasn't going to bring it up."
"That's the whole point." I was rolling my wrist for him to continue.
"I heard you last night." His words were fast but clear.
"Heard me last night?" I was confused as I repeated his words to him.
"Y-y-yeah, when you were. Um." Realization hit me like a truck. "Upstairs in the bedroom."
"You heard that!" I felt the air leave my body and my face felt like it was on fire. "When I was…" a lump formed in my throat and my embarrassment level rose to an all time high.
"Yes. I wasn't going to tell you because I didn't want to embarrass you. I was working in my study and heard you… moaning…. So I went downstairs."
"Oh my gosh." I muttered and buried my face in my hands. "I don't even know how to respond to that and I can't even begin to describe how I feel about that. I'm sorry you heard it and I.." My head was spinning. How do I explain that I was masterbating to the thought of him, especially now that I knew he heard me. I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
"Please don't be embarrassed. I wasn't going to say anything but you pulled out that card and it was the first thing that came to mind." He grabbed my hand and pulled it away from your face. "I don't want you to hide from me or be embarrassed around me. Ever. The whole point of the cards is to open up…. It's your turn." Edward was being sweet again. I needed to swallow my pride and self pity but I felt like I was internally dying.
"I don't even know what I wouldn't tell you. Definitely nothing of that significance. Earlier this week I wasn't going to tell you how much I wanted you to make the first move. I wanted you to kiss me but you wouldn't so I took the step and made the first move. I was terrified when you didn't kiss me back at first and felt rejected."
"I never made the first move since I wasn't sure that you wanted me like that." Edward looked sad as he thought over the past events. "I wish I would have known."
"There's no way you could have known. I wanted you to kiss me, love me, and date me but I was scared that you didn't want me. I wanted you to make the first move because I was nervous but then I woke up and decided that I couldn't wait any longer. I need to feel your lips against mine…. even if I had morning breath." I felt like I was over explaining myself.
"I'm glad that you kissed me and took the first step. I was scared that you didn't want our relationship to be physical in any way so I didn't want to push you into anything you weren't ready for. Don't be confused, I wanted to kiss you. Desperately. I didn't respond right away because I felt like my head was spinning as I was processing my feelings. I had fireworks going off in my brain when I realized that you wanted me." I appreciated Edward being open with me.
"Let's say from here on out, your kisses are welcome and appreciated. We were both dancing around each other because we never discussed what we wanted out of this relationship. Edward, I want everything. I want the ups and downs as long as you're by my side. I want you as my husband and my partner. It may be tricky at work but at the end of the day, I want you to come home to me and only me." I squeezed his hand that was still in mine.
"Good. I want all those things with you. I want to provide for you and love you. I'm going to take care of you, no matter what." My heart swelled at his words. I lifted his hand to my lips and kissed it gently.
"Thank you." I whispered against his knuckles.
…MMHW…
EPOV
I felt awful about embarrassing Bella while we were in the car. She had caught me off guard when she said to open up about our undisclosed secrets. My mind immediately went to the night before, much to my dismay. Her answer also surprised me but put my mind to ease about whether or not she wanted me. My heart soared at her words. She wanted the kisses, the dates, and the relationship. It took everything in me to not blurt out that I loved her. I knew it was too soon in our relationship to think about that but I also knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.
The day seemed to tick by slowly when I separated from Bella. Emmett and I sent a few messages back and forth as he advised me to buy snacks. Lots and lots of snacks. I personally have no idea how he eats so much but constantly remains hungry.
I was especially restless now that I was on my lunch break. I've taken to sending Bella cat videos to pass the time. I'm not sure how appreciative she is of those.
"I don't think we've had a chance to formally meet. I'm Tanya Denali." I looked up from my phone to see another doctor with her hand extended towards me.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Edward Cullen." I shook her hand with a firm grip and a slight nod before returning my attention to my phone. Bella had responded to a few of my messages but mostly to tease me for searching for the cat videos.
Tanya sat down in the seat across from me, slightly to my dismay since the room was mostly empty. There are four other tables that she could sit at. The doctor's lounge was quite large but wasn't made to accommodate the entire staff of doctors. Most choose to sit in the cafeteria or leave for lunch rather than packing into one room. I've taken to coming here for the quietness that the space provides. It also gives me some privacy and a chance to text Bella non-stop. Even if she tells me that she's busy, I send her messages to look at later when she's available. Bella hasn't even complained about the spam texting but she could just be being nice about it.
Each table could hold up to six people if we sat close together but four allowed us to space ourselves out properly. There was a fridge, microwave, and a small counter/cabinet combo against the wall to hold our lunches if we brought any. It wasn't the greatest lounge that I've seen but it wasn't the worst.
"Has everyone been welcoming and nice?" She asked as she began unpacking her lunch. I was slightly irritated that my quietness had been invaded but couldn't be mad since I was in a public space and she was trying to be friendly.
"Yes. For the most part everyone is nice and helpful. A few bumps in the road but nothing that I can't handle."
"That's good. Are you new to Seattle? I can show you around, we can grab dinner one night and I can give you a tour of the city."
"Thank you for your offer but I'm ok. I am new to the city but I have family here who've been showing me around." I smiled at her before returning to my phone.
Do you have beach towels? Did you buy some when you got your swimsuit? -B
Can't we use normal towels? We have plenty in the cabinet in the bathroom. -E
No! You want beach towels because they are larger, thinner and not our good indoor towels. -B
"We can always go out to dinner. We can get to know each other a little better so that you have some friends outside of work." Tanya looked a little hopeful.
"I'm sorry, I prefer to keep my work relationships professional. If any friendships are built, it is better if that happens within the hospital. Trying to create separate relationships gets tricky when you're balancing in work and out of work friendships."
Is it that big of a deal? -E
Yes. We are buying beach towels. You can not own a pool without them… maybe a float or two while we are at it. -B
I laughed a little at Bella's stubbornness. She could convince me of anything, but it was funny that she wanted to fight over towels.
"I understand." Something about Tanya's expression told me that she didn't understand.
Tanya was pretty but she wasn't my type. Her hair was extremely blond but unnatural. You could see the slight browning of her roots and the underside showed the over bleaching that fried parts of her hair. Not that I was looking at her boobs, but they seemed unnaturally high and firm. There was little to know movement when she wiggled in her chair. She was probably extremely pretty to some but she seemed fake to me.
I prefer girls who wear natural. Bella was what I liked. Her hair was soft and shiny, nothing was on her was fake. When I kissed her, I could tell that her lips didn't have any fillers. I also knew that her boobs were real without ever touching them. I know that implants are becoming more life-like as medicine and technology advances but I was still certain that she didn't have any.
…MMHW…
BPOV
"Let's divide and conquer. If you'll get the food and drinks then I'll get the bedding and pool supplies." I tore our grocery list in half before handing Edward his portion.
"Okay. We have an hour to get in and out, can we do that?"
"Yes. Let's go." I gave him a quick kiss before getting out of the car.
We got our separate carts at the door before splitting ways. I started my list with bedding. I grabbed three queen sized air mattresses before heading to the aisle with sheets. I doubted that Edward had spare sheets and if he did, he probably had no clue where they were. I grabbed three sets of sheets and three oversized blankets to act as comforters. Six pillows found their way into the cart since I was afraid of being underprepared. It's always good to have these extras in case guests visit. You could just take the pillows from the three spare rooms. Once I had the needed bedding, I made my way into the summer and pool aisles. I felt lucky that it was the start of summer and they weren't sold out of anything yet.
I started off with six oversized beach towels in my cart but threw in four more to be extra cautious. They might bring their own but I want to be prepared. What if his mother comes to visit or if we have Esme and Carlisle over. What if my parents come to visit at the same time as everyone else. I knew that the probability was small that we would entertain both our families at the same time, but I wanted to be prepared. I ventured further down the island as I glanced over the pool float options. I grabbed one of the basic lounge chairs but couldn't stop myself from grabbing a large watermelon circle and a unicorn float. This is going to be expensive, we need to leave before you grab anything else. I passed by a shelf that had sunscreen so I grabbed two bottles along with a bottle of aloe. I made sure to have both lotion and spray sunscreen incase Edward had a preference. On my way out of the aisle, I spotted small water guns and grabbed a cheap two pack. It was definitely an impulse buy but not one that I would regret.
Edward's eyes bugged a little when he saw my cart at checkout.
"Did you buy the whole store?" He teased me. "What do you need with ten beach towels? Are you sure we can't use the indoor ones?" He laced his fingers with mine as we waited in line.
""I'll have you know that I'm prepared incase both of our families decide that they should meet at our house and go swimming. No we are not going to use the indoor towels for outdoor use. That's a firm no." I raised my eyebrows at him and gave him a look that dared him to argue with me.
"Yes ma'am." He chuckled.
"I got an air mattress for each set of two, I hope it's ok if we share… maybe I should have asked first. I grabbed sheets and a blanket for each air buttress along with a pillow for each of us in case they don't bring one. Plus, you can never have too many pillows. I grabbed sunscreen and aloe because someone is bound to get burnt. It's not that much, the only other thing is a pool float or two."
"That's a lot. Yes, you can have too many pillows and I think that this is too many." He gestured to my tall stack of pillows. "For the other comment you made, it's always okay to share. I want you to assume that I want you to sleep next to me." He pulled me into a hug that didn't last too long as it was our turn to move forward in the line.
"You have a lot of stuff as well. That's a week's worth of food in front of you. Do you expect us to eat this all?"
"Us? No. Emmett? Yes." He laughed at his own joke. "It's hot dogs and burgers for dinner. Chips for a side and cookies for dessert. There is pancake mix, sausage, and syrup for Saturday morning. The bread, turkey, ham, and tomatoes are for sandwiches for Saturday since we will eat pizza for dinner and I got extra bread incase we wanted French toast on Sunday. I grabbed popcorn and a few candy boxes in case we watched a movie and I got a cheeseball and crackers in case we wanted a snack that wasn't chips."
"You actually thought this all out. I'm quite impressed." He had a plan for the food in his cart which was more structured that the system in which I had thrown things into my cart.
….
Edward helped me unload the car when we got home before putting away our cold groceries. I grabbed the vacuum and quickly ran it over the floor. I waited for Edward before we ventured to the basement. I was nervous to go down the stairs by myself.
Edward helped me carry everything downstairs which means that I carried the pillows while he grabbed everything else. I went back upstairs to grab the vacuum while he started inflating the mattresses.
Edward wasn't kidding when he said that the room was large. It was more than large, it was huge. The stairs led you into the center of the room and had a gaming table on either side of the entrance. There was a ping pong table to my right and an air hockey table to my left. When you ventured further into the open space, the tv and couch was centered on the right side of the room. There was a large U shaped couch that faced the wall, centered in front of the couch was an 85 inch tv, hung on the wall. In the farthest, most left corner was a small kitchen and hall. The hall leads to the bathroom and a closet. I was surprised to find extra blankets and an air mattress in the closet. The closet seemed rather spacious for how empty it was. We could easily fit three people in it without being on top of each other.
"I found your mattress." I pointed into the closet for Edward to see.
"I knew I had one somewhere."
I moved around the rest of the room and took in the sheer space we had. The kitchen had a fridge, microwave, and a small counter space. I was glad that there was plenty of room to move around without tripping over anything. Edward and I placed the bed on the left wall and positioned them so that they wouldn't impede the walk way. We took the time to put the sheets and blankets on the beds before heading back upstairs.
"Everyone is supposed to be here in about an hour. I'm going to change into my swimsuit."
"Okay, I'm going to move the movie stacks down stairs." I nodded at him before leaving the room.
I've always worn bikinis but this time felt different. I was nervous about Edward seeing me in a swimsuit even though he's seen me naked before. I dug through my drawer before pulling out a simple black two piece. Alice has bought me a ton of swimsuits over the years and most of them had stayed unworn and out of my comfort zone. I may not like one piece or tankinis but it didn't mean that I wanted my entire body to hang out.
I wore mid rise bottoms that sat below my belly button. My top sat lower on my rib cage, had a v-neck, and spaghetti straps that crossed over my shoulder blades. The v-neck provided some coverage since it wasn't plunging and I was happy with that the swimsuit didn't require any tying.
"You would tell me if something didn't look okay, right?" I bit the bullet and stepped into our cold living room. I walked towards Edward who was leaning against the islands.
"What do you mean?"
"If I wore something that didn't look good on me, I want you to tell me. Don't let me dress like a fool." Edward still hadn't looked at me and I was standing next to his side at this point.
"I doubt you'd ever look ridiculous." He turned his head to me and his eyes bugged slightly. I felt his eyes rake up and down my body before he reached for my hips. "You definitely don't look ridiculous."
"Are you sure?" His reaction had already eased my worries about my swimsuit.
"Very sure." He leaned his head down and met my lips with his. The kiss was filled with passion as he lifted me onto the counter.
I opened my legs so that he could easily step in between them. My tongue slipped into his mouth when he let out a small groan. My fingers raked through his hair and I pulled on it, to give myself some leverage.
His hands started to wonder as they found their way up and over my rib cage. I felt his right hand stroke softly at my side and his left ghosted over my breast. I moaned a little into his mouth and arched my back towards him. He took the chance to lightly brush his thumb over my nipple. The light padding of my swimsuit provided little to no barrier between us as his fingers set my body on fire. I moaned under his touch and pulled his hair harder.
Edward growled as he moved his lips to my neck. His movements gave me a chance to gasp for air as he lightly bit at my neck. The feeling of his teeth against my skin ignited a deeper flame inside my body. I crossed my legs behind his back and pulled him closer to me. He brought his right hand to my thigh as his left travelled to my cheek. His lips returned to my swollen ones as he began devouring my mouth.
The doorbell ringing was like a cold bucket of water. Edward and I pulled apart but were panting. His hair was tousled in every direction and his lips were red and swollen. I doubted that I looked any different. I could feel the throb between my legs but knew it was time to cool my feelings for the weekend.
"I'm going to change." Edward leaned in and kissed my cheek. "You may want to brush your hair." His words were softly whispered into my ear.
"I'm sure yours looks much worse." I chuckled as he helped me off the counter. I slipped a coverup over my body before answering the door.
It was Rosalie and Emmett who arrived first. Emmett greeted me but still brushed past me in search of Edward. Rose rolled her eyes at his boyish antics but I found it sweet that Emmett has missed Edward so much. It didn't escape my notice that Emmett was carrying a large bag of liquor.
"Your necks red." Rose whispered to me with a wink as she brushed my hair in front of my shoulders to hide the offender. She was holding a box of flavored white claws.
"Noticeably?" I was slightly worried that Emmett would see.
"It'll go away but someone has definitely been bit." I could see the smirk in her eyes as she travelled further into the house and set the box on the island.
Emmett came out of the master with an annoyed Edward following behind him. Edward had changed into his swimming trunks. They were a nice navy blue but the color didn't draw my attention away from his chest. There was something about him that made me feel faint, always forming the butterflies.
"Sorry for the brief greetings, I needed to tell Eddie boy something." I could hear Edward grumble slightly at the nickname Emmett had provided.
Emmett picked me up in a bear like hug and spun me in a circle. "No hard feelings?"
"No hard feelings, if you set me back down." I laughed. He quickly obliged my request.
"You wouldn't be mad for long, you're family."
"Don't push it." I smiled. "Family or not." Emmett was right, I'd never be able to stay mad at him.
"Let's go ahead and move outside. Are y'all hungry? I think Edward's dying to cook." I winked at Edward. I knew that he was excited to fire up his grill.
Edward rolled his eyes at my comment but I knew it was true. He spent our ride home telling me exactly how he planned to cook and season everything. It was quite cute to see him get excited over something even if it was just grilling.
"I'm always hungry, I can help him if you ladies are wanting to lay out into the sun." Emmett's smile was so big that you could see the dimples form on his cheeks.
"You don't have to tell me twice." Rose grabbed my hand and drug me out the door. I almost protested with an argument about it being too late to tan. The sun was no longer at the peaked index and had started an ever so slow journey down, even if we would still have a few hours of light left.
Rose was nice enough to help me lay towels across each lounge chair. "Are you wanting to talk about your red neck or swollen lips that you had when we first got here."
I tapped my chin slightly before responding to her. "Nah."
"Fair. What about how you drooled while staring at him." My cheeks flushed at her words.
"Am I that obvious?" I flopped down onto a chair and covered my eyes with an arm.
"Not to them, but I noticed. Don't worry. I won't say anything to anyone. I guess that things have gotten better for you two."
"Definitely! We have gone on a few dates and talk almost every night. We have even shared a few kisses here and there which always makes me want more. I don't think I'll ever tire of kissing him."
"I'm glad that you're happy. I'm assuming you're happy because you smile like a goof when talking about him. Your cheeks light up and sometimes you have a slight blush."
"I do like him a lot. I like how things are going and I'm so glad that we are dating. I know that we are married, but…"
"You're dating. It doesn't matter if you're married because you and Edward have started from the beginning and it's sweet. I'm really glad that you have someone who makes your face light up and your heart swell. I can see how much you care for him and he cares for you."
It's always meant a lot to me that Rosalie is so supportive of me and my decisions. She has always put her feelings aside to make sure that I feel loved. Don't worry, she let's me know when I've made stupid decisions but she helps me see those decisions through with a caring 'told you so' on the other end.
"There's actually two things that I want to tell you. I'd prefer if you don't tell Alice. It's nothing against her but these are personal and I'm still trying to rebuild my trust. I love Alice, I truly do but I'm trying to let our bond rebuild." I was afraid that I was being too petty.
"Don't worry Bella, I won't tell anyone anything. You and Alice will get through this but y'all need to fix your foundation first. I know that you're not being mean and will tell her when you're ready."
"Thank you." She has always made me feel like I'm being heard. "So…. This happened the other night. Let me start by saying that Edward was supposed to work late but didn't. I'm also going to say that there is no door on the master bathroom, there is this weird hallway thing that had a closet on either side. You're unable to see into the bathroom unless you stand right in front of the hall. Even then, you can only see straight ahead which is a tub and window. You have to walk into the bathroom to see the shower."
"Is this going where I think it's going?" She raised her eyebrow at me as she took the seat next to mine.
"If you're thinking that he came home early while I was in the shower and ended up seeing me naked, then yes what you're thinking is what happened."
"Bella!"
"I know! It was mortifying. I was even singing and dancing in the shower. To make it worse, the song was Everywhere I Go by Hollywood Undead. He was standing there when I opened my eyes and then ran. He hid in his office all night until we had work the next evening."
Rosalie was laughing deeply out loud. "That is embarrassing but crazy. Could he not hear the shower running?"
"The bathroom is slightly soundproof and he had his ears plugged. His original plan was to shower but heard my music while standing in his closet. He followed the noise straight into the bathroom." It was funny now that my embarrassment had eased.
"I'm sorry for laughing but that is the funniest thing I heard."
"Oh it gets better."
"Better?" She turned her body to look at me.
"Yep, better. Edward and I have been sharing a bed for most of the last week. Platonically. But having him so close his making me have weird dreams." I gave Rose a look and hoped she understood what I meant.
"Understandable, continue please."
"Well, I bought a vibrator from Amazon while working my overnight shift. I'm going to blame this on being sleep deprived. I was glad when it arrived, a little too glad. I knew that Edward was working later so I went upstairs and ..." I rolled my wrist so that her mind could fill in the blank. "But he heard me. He thought I might be in the shower when he came home so he went upstairs to his office. The office was across from me, so he heard me moaning and heard the sound of the vibrator." This incident still made my cheeks flame.
"That is absolutely mortifying. Oh my gosh, I don't know how you're still standing." Rosalie's eyes were huge as she absorbed my words.
"Don't worry, I wanted the ground to open up and eat me when we were talking about it this morning."
….
Alice and Jasper arrived not long after Emmett and Edward put the food on the grill. The atmosphere was light and pleasurable as different conversations surrounded us. I could hear Edward taunting Emmett for wearing matching swimsuits with Rosalie. Emmett's fire engine red bottoms matched Rosalie's bikini perfectly. I wondered if Edward would ever be willing to match clothes with me….maybe for Christmas. Alice's swimsuit was a bold white but was a nice contrast to Jasper's black swim trunks.
"We should get a photo together and send it to Mom. She complained every year about not having enough. Dinner's almost ready, do you want to do it before or after." Emmett looked at everyone.
"Doesn't matter to me as long as we do it before someone's wet." Roses spoke up. I knew that she hated having her hair wet in photos.
"Why don't we do it after we eat since it's already time to eat." I suggested. Everyone agreed, mostly out of hunger.
The conversation stayed light until we were all finished and ready to start swimming. The sun had set a little more but Edward turned on the pool lights along with the overhanging patio lights.
"I'll take the photo if you'll stand together." I offered.
"No, you're part of this family so you need to be in the photo. We can set a timer." Alice looked at me concerned.
"But you're sending it to Esme. It's not a big deal if I take it."
"Bella, Esme is your family and considers YOU family. It would be wrong if you're excluded. She's always liked you, it just makes it better now that you're Edward's wife." Alice told me sternly."
"I want you in the picture." Edward whispered in my ear as he slid an arm around my waist. I nodded in understanding as we lined up for the photo. We chose different poses and orderings as the camera snapped away. One thing that I noticed, Edward was by my side in each picture.
The last photo was where all hell broke loose. The timer clicked off as Emmett threw me into the pool. My instincts were to save myself from falling, but this caused Edward to be pulled into the water. The camera caught the perfect photo of us falling and Rosalie smacking Emmett upside the back of his head. Alice and Jasper shared the same shocked expression.
"Emmett!" I screamed when my head reemerged from below the surface of the water.
…MMHW….
Everyone found their way into the pool, just not as abruptly as Edward and I. We swam for a bit, played chicken, and even took turns racing each other. It was like we were converted back to being kids in the presents of one another. The boys were known for wrestling each other into the pool. By the time everyone started drying off, I was tired. I wanted nothing more than to shower and sleep.
"We have multiple showers available, I've made sure that all were stocked with the essentials. We have a shower upstairs, a shower down stairs, and a shower on the main level. Let me know if you need help finding one, I'm sure you are capable. Feel free to stay up, but I'm going to bed. Goodnight." I gave my small speech before heading towards the bedroom. It was midnight and my body was feeling the effects of staying up late.
"I can find another bathroom if you want this one to yourself." Edward had followed me into the bedroom.
"I don't see why you need to go somewhere else. If you stay on the bed and out of the bathroom then we will be fine. I'm going to shower then you can….. promise to stay on the bed?" I raised an eyebrow at him so that he knew I was joking.
"Yes ma'am." He gave me a captain's salute before locking the bedroom door. I appreciated the small remembrance since I'd be mortified if Emmett or Jasper came barging in.
I enjoyed the hot spray of the shower. I've always been a fan of showering, especially after I've swam or done any physical activities. The chlorine from pools has always made my skin feel dry and my hair scratchy.
"Hey, Edward." I called out to him as I lathered soap into my hair.
"Yes?"
"I know that it's still early in the year to discuss this but my mom asked about our holiday plans. She wanted to know if we would split holidays with our families or if we were spending them alone."
"Do you have a preference?" He called back to me.
"Not really, my family has always been the three of us. Every now and then, Jacob and his family would also come over. I've never had cousins to invite."
Christmas and thanksgiving is always a huge production in my family. I haven't been to family gatherings in years though. I stopped attending when I graduated high school. If we are invited, we should do thanksgiving here with my family and can do Christmas with yours."
"That works for me. Why did you stop seeing your family when you went to college?"
"To be honest, I was hurt and disappointed in everyone. Those feelings morphed into anger."
"Did something happen to make you feel that way?"
"Not anything specific. When my mother took me back, I thought that Esme and Carlisle might have fought to keep me. I thought that they liked me enough to have me stay and I was desperate to not leave them. They handed me over to my mother and continued on as their three person family. My mother makes me miserable and always has. She didn't raise me and doesn't have a maternal bone in her body. It hurt to show up for holidays and have everyone pretend that we were ok. I wasn't ok and I didn't want to stay. So I quit coming back."
The thought of Edward's childhood saddened me. "I'm so sorry that your mother has treated you terribly. I'm sorry that you're dad died and I'm sorry that you didn't feel included in your family." My eyes pricked with tears as my feelings formed. I slowly stepped out of the shower and began drying off.
"Bella, I can hear that you're upset. I'm not trying to make you sad over my childhood. It is what it is. My father died young and I was taken care of by my aunt and uncle. They raised me well and as their own. They also gave me back to my mother who wanted to act as a parent without putting in the effort. Does it hurt that they didn't keep me? Yes. Am I okay? Also, yes. I know that my family loves me."
I dressed before walking into the bedroom. Edward was laying on top of the bed with his hands behind his head. "I'm still sorry that you had to go through that. I'm sure that there was something preventing them from keeping you. I know Esme loves you, she's said it."
Edward quickly got off the bed and wrapped his arms around me. "I know she loves me. She had called me every week since I graduated. Even when I didn't answer for months, she always left me a message." He wiped the tears softly from my cheeks. "Don't be upset. I'm ok….. you make it sound like I'm a puppy, when you talk about keeping me." Edward made a joke to lighten the atmosphere.
I rolled my eyes at him but appreciated his attempts to cheer me up. "Go shower so we can go to bed." I wiggled out of his grasp as his bare chest began to tempt me.
"I'll shower quickly." He grinned before heading into the bathroom.
"Please do." I called after him as he disappeared.
I heard the water turn on and took that as my sign to get in bed. I didn't want to stand there and think about how easy it would be to slide into the bathroom. He respected you and you need to respect him.
I was glad when Edward finally slid into bed next to me. I moved my body closer to his and rested my head on his chest. "Goodnight." I murmured before kissing the underside of his chin.
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave your thoughts and feelings, I appreciate all feedback.
This may have only been Friday but at least it was over 7,000 words. I'm going to work hard to get chapter 11 out quickly!